Beer: Ratings & Reviews

Reviews by bobhits:

Classic triple body, orange and yellow hazed to nearly opaque looks just about perfect here. Head and lacing are rather lacking...or heck almost non existent. Edit, second pour form the bottle gave a nice inch of white head. I'm not sure if there's more yeast in the bottle or it was just a faster pour. Still not much in the lacing department.

Caramel malts with clove spices and a very subtle hint of hop aroma in the finish. Not a lot to speak of.

Given the simple nose, I'm rather pleased with the intense and complex flavors. Pear fruit flavor complemented by clove spices and caramel and cracker malts. There's a nice finish of hops, nothing to justify calling it a hoppy triple, but still well done.

I can't find an abv number on the bottle, but this one is clearly a big heavy beer. There's a good bit of carbonation, but the bite of alcohol is a good bit stronger than the carbonation.

A well made triple have a new brewery to be distributed here in Kentucky. Nothing special here, but I can't see anyone a fan of this style being disappointed.

Color is a pretty sunny golden yellow. opaque, thick, and hazy. Little bit of white head that quickly diminishes.

The first scent is sweet and yeastey and light. It's nice! It's a little more lemon-apricot-honey-orange than simply orange itself. It has a fruity taste, with hints of lemon, apricot, honey, and a tangy orange. It tastes like juicy spring. There's also a little bit of sour bitterness to it, and and aftertaste that's more lemon and orange peel than lemon and orange themselves. Honestly, I wasn't impressed with it on tap at all, but I like it a lot better in the bottle.

Mouthfeel is crisp and refreshing. Carbonation is a good amount-- less than some, but with a bubbly texture in the mouth, still. I feel like I could drink this all day.

Poured this 22 oz. bottle of Pretty Things Fluffy White Rabbits into a snifter. The bottle doesn't have a bottling date–unlike most PT beers, which feature a month and year bottled-on date printed on the label–but I know that this is the 2012 edition of the Easter seasonal brew.

Appearance (4/5): A moderately hard pour into the snifter produces a 1 and a half finger creamy white head that sits atop a hazy golden-colored body of beer. The beer looks very nice in the glass. Though there are, admittedly, better looking tripels out there, I can't complain too much since the beer leaves behind quite a bit of lace on the sides of the glass as you drink. It looks and behaves like a genuine Belgian beer.

Smell (4/5): The bottle says "Hoppy Tripel" on it, and you can definitely smell the aroma of hops rising from the glass as you pour it. But the hop aroma is in in no way aggressive and, to my nose, smells more earthy and herbal–definitely not a case of a Belgian-style Tripel retooled with aggressive American hop varieties. The beer's aroma is therefore subtly more hoppy than you'd expect from a traditional tripel, but it still has a Tripel-like smell–sweet, fruity aromas mix with the earthy hoppiness to create a very pleasant smell overall.

Taste (4/5): At first sip, I taste earthy hops in the front that give way to that sweet, fruity maltiness that you expect from a tripel. I am immediately struck by how refreshing White Rabbits tastes. I just want to keep drinking; the fairly high alcohol content (8.5% ABV) is only hinted at by a warming in the back of the throat and doesn't impact drinkability in the least. Its subdued but noticeable hoppiness in the foretaste reminds me a little of a saison, but this beer doesn't have a saison's dry finish. The beer's flavor can't compete with that of the best tripels out there (Westmalle, La Fin du Monde, La Rulles, Ename), but it's damn good and definitely distinguishable from other tripels, which earns points in my book. It may not be as pleasantly yeasty or sweet as some, but it tastes great.

Mouthfeel (4.5/5): The mouthfeel is the best thing about Fluffy White Rabbits. It's amazingly creamy and lends this beer a wonderful texture. It gives the beer a nice medium body and truly enhances the taste and drinking experience; each sip sits in on the tongue pleasantly and leaves you wanting more. Words really don't do this beer's mouthfeel justice, so I won't ramble on about it any longer. Seek this beer out and you'll understand.

Overall (4/5): This beer is an excellent piece of brewing. As I noted above, it may not have the flavor to hold its own against the most revered Belgian-style tripels, but it has its own distinct character. It's subtly hopped-up, refreshing, and has a beautifully creamy texture that I personally think is to die for. This is not a beer you could call forgettable. I highly recommend it if you can get your hands on it. It runs between $7 and $8 for a 22 oz. bomber. One of the best Pretty Things' beers I've tried.

A: Pours a hazy yellow/orange color with a fluffy white head on top, about two fingers in height. Great retention, eventually settling to a nice cap on top. Some bubbly lacing forms.

S: Some nice spices up front and some Belgian yeast, a little bit of banana and pear, with some flowery and grassy hops.

T: Doughy malt with some light citrus zest mixed with spices and some Belgian yeast flavor. Slight alcohol presence right at the end. The hops have died off a bit, which isn't a surprise as this is a 2011 vintage.

M: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Slight alcohol presence right on the finish as it warms.

O: A really nice tripel, Pretty Things does it again. Will be on the lookout to try this one fresh to get the hops fresh, but this beer was great without it.

Hard to believe the ABV is 8.5% with this one. Taste is fruity and a little sweet, but with a niiice hop presence. I'll definitely keep a stock of this in the beer fridge this spring. Give it a try if available...mmmm